Spring-wheel.



A. R. MISKIN. SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1912.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

n STATES PATENT orrrcn.

ARTHUR R. MISKIN, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR TO MISKIN SPRINGWHEEL COMPANY, OF IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO, A CORPORATION.

SPRING-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Application filed May 18, 1912. Serial No. 698,092.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. MISKIN, acitizen of the United States, residing at 316 Center street, Salt LakeCity, in the county of Salt Lake and the State of Utah, have inventedcertain new and .useful Im prov-ements in Spring-VVheels, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in spring wheels in which the innerends of the spokes are pivoted to parallel yokes surrounding the hubwhich yokes are centrally pivoted to cross-bars at the ends of the hub,and the yokes that are disposed diametrically opposite each other beingkept parallel by means of connecting rods.

The objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a simple form ofspring wheel that will be light and durable, inetrpensive, and neat inappearance; prevent Jars and shocks, and vibration to the vehicle and tothe occupants thereof, second, to provide a wheel that-will absorb allvibration, so as to eliminate all ringing and roaring sounds, withoutthe use of pneumatic or other rubber or composition tires.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a face view of the wheel with two systemsof connected spokes, one at each end of the hub; Fig. 2 is a view intransverse cross section of the wheel; Fig. 3 is a view, in elevation,of one system of the parallel yokes with connecting rods and cross-bar,shown for the purpose of giving a clearer View of the parts; Fig. 4 is aView similar to Fig. 3, showing the position the mechanism assumes whenan obstacle is encountered in the roadway, or when a heavy load isplaced on the wheel; Fig. 5 is a detail view of a short section of thetire showing a depression or socket in the tire to receive the head ofthe spoke 4 shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the outer end ofone of the spokes.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In Fig. 1 the numeral 1 represents a short cross-bar to which arepivoted parallel yokes 2, at points equally distant from, and at a pointoutside of a straight line connecting, the points of attachment of thespokes 4. The yokes pivotally connected with the cross bar as stated,are diametrically opposite each other, and their pivots 10 are outsideof a straight line, such as a, Fig. 3, uniting the pivotal points ofattachment of the spokes and yokes. 3 represents connecting rodsconnecting diametrically opposite to yokes 2, for the purpose of keepingthe said yokes parallel to each other. Spokes 4 are pivoted at theirinner ends to yokes 2. The other ends of said spokes 4 are formed intoheads, rounded on the under, or inner, side; as shown in Fig. 6, and letinto depressions 6 in tire 5 in a kind of ball-and-socket manner asshown in Figs. 1 and 2 and Figs. 5 and 6. The tire 5 is composed ofspring steel or other resilient or elastic material of suiiicientstrength to carry the load when suspended from the said ring or tire 5.

In operation the tire 5 assumes an elliptical form, the greater theload, or the greater the concussion caused by an obstacle in the road,the more elliptical the tire becomes until it reaches the limit allowedby the inner mechanism, shown in Fig. 4. The possibility of the tire 5to assume an elliptical form is accomplished in the following manner:-\Vhen an obstacle is encountered in the roadway it presses up on thespoke 4 nearest the ground which presses up on the end of the yoke 2with which the said spoke is connected which causes the whole system toassume the position shown in Fig. 4, in which the spokes nearest thevertical position are drawn toward the center by the inner mechanism,and the horizontal spokes are allowed to move away from the center, asshown in Fig. 4, thereby allowing the tire 5 to assume an ellipticalform while it is passing over an obstruction in the roadway, or when aheavy load is applied.

I have discovered that when the yokes 2 are connected by links 3, 3 andthus caused to move in parallelism, the wheel is materiallystrengthened, especially against lateral strains, as compared with anarrange ment where the connecting links are not employed; and also that,by arranging the pivotal connections of the spokes 4 with the yokes 2 atpoints that .are radially distant from the center of the wheel notgreater than the radial distance of the pivotal connections of the yokeswith the cross-bars 1, the strains upon all the spokes of any connectedset, incident to the distortion of the wheel rim, are more uniform thanwhen the pivotal connections of the spokes are radially more distantfrom the center of thewheel than the pivotal connections between theyokes and cross-bars 1, as would be the case should straight bars beemployed instead of curved yokes, such 'as shown.

I am aware that prior to this my invention spring wheels have been-madewherein spring steel rings, or tires, by means of systems of parallelbeams, assume elliptical form when obstacles in the roadway areencountered. I therefore do not claim such a combination broadly; but

I claim 1. In a spring wheel, the combination of a rim adapted to assumeelliptical form under strains towhich it may be subjected, spokesconnected with the rim, a system of yokes pivotally supported near thecenter of the wheel, to which the spokes are connected in sets, andlinks uniting diametrically oppositely disposed yokes to cause them tobe maintained in parallelism.

2. In a spring wheel, the combination of a yielding rim, yokes arrangedin pairs diametrically opposite each other, that are pivotally supportednear the center of the wheel, the yokes of each pair being disposed uponopposite transverse sides thereof, spokes connected with the rim attheir outer ends and each connected at its inner end with one of theyokes, and links uniting the opposite yokes of the pairs and arranged tomaintain them in parallelism as the rim is distorted in shape and thespokes moved.

3. In a spring wheel, the combination of a yielding rim, a hub,cross-bars secured to the hub, yokes pivoted between their ends to thesaid cross-bars, spokes secured at the r 1nner ends to the said yokesnear their ends, and connecting links uniting dlamet- I rically oppositeyokes and maintaining them in parallelism.

4. In a springwheel, the combination of a yielding rim, a hub, yokessupported near the center of the wheel, and spokes connected at theirouter ends with the rim and at their inner ends with the said yokes, thepoints of connectioin between the spokes and the yokes beingapproximately the same radial distance from the center of the wheel asthat of the pivots of the yokes.

5. In a spring wheel, the combination of a yielding rim, a hub, yokespivotally supported near the center of the wheel, spokes connected attheir outer ends with the rim and at their inner ends with the saidyokes, the points of connection between the spokes and the yokes beingapproximately the same radial distance from the center of the wheel asthat of the pivots of the yokes, and connecting links uniting'theopposite yokes and arranged to maintain them in parallelism as the rimis distorted in shape.

6. In a spring wheel, the combination of yokes.

ARTHUR It. MISKIN. In presence of KNIGHT L. CLAPP, JAMES A. MELVILLE.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

